semi-conscience

                                       Semi-conscience


         It was the roaring sound of the wind that awoke me first. The sudden sensation of being in flight washes over me. The wind upon my face, rustling through my hair, being divided by my fingers. That's when I heard a car horn soar past me and it throws me back into reality. I try to open my eyes but the left one was almost swollen shut. It took a consorted effort but to free it from its' locked position. Upon doing so I could see I was lying face down on a large sheet of metal. I could see the landscape rushing by and when I looked up a great whoosh flew over my head causing to curl up into a ball. When I looked back I saw an overpass disappear into the distance. When I looked ahead I saw the billowing exhaust of a semi cab. I tried to get to my knees but when I put weight on my shoulder it just collapsed under me. Just then the semi hit a pothole causing the truck bed to come at my as I was falling to it. These two forces meeting caused my separated shoulder to be popped back into place. I get up to my knees and notice a pool of blood, wind struck, streaking towards the rear of the bed. My right ankle was broken and the bone was protruding. One can't help but look in awe at the site of one's own bones. Its one thing the mind is never prepared for or have to fathom. I painstakingly crawl toward the cab of this rig and begin to yell for the driver’s attention, but he just shifts into a higher gear. My voice is being overtaken by the prevailing wind and thrusted back into my mouth. I could see the sun setting in the distance, and the semi driver turns on his headlights. As the darkness settles in, and the warming glow fades, I can see the sun going down on me being spotted by anyone up here.
         I rip off the left sleeve on my shirt and make it a tourniquet for my ankle, my exposed arm goose bumps to the cold wind. I lay my head down and suddenly I become aware of the knots on my head. I feel as though I've gone ten rounds with a prize fighter. I take a sharp breath and can feel the bruises all over my body. I turn myself around so as to shelter my head from the prevailing chilled winds. My eye becomes heavy and I start to doze off. The dream I have comes in flashes. Snapshots and images out of place and jumbled. I come to and it's still dark and the air is frozen. I crawl to the rear of the bed and look off the back to see a lone car tailing the semi, a Chevy nova. I start to wave to get the attention of it. It must've noticed me because it began to speed up and the driver turned on the Brights. I got to my knees when I see a flash from the driver window. I feel like a sledgehammer hit my shoulder, and I'm spun around landing face first. The sound of the semi and rushing wind worked as a silencer muzzling the gun shot. I hear the rumbling v8 engine slow down and the Brights are shut off. The nova returns to a safe distance behind the big rig. I begin to feel the warmth of the pool of blood under me. I rip off my other sleeve and tighten it around my shoulder to stop the bleeding. I must look like shit, but I've never felt so alive. The adrenaline is screaming through my veins. My heartbeat is racing which causes my wound to leak more red than normal. I lie back down wondering who that driver was and if he's the reason I'm up here and in this shape. I feel a discomfort on my back when I reach for it I find the bullet that burst from my shoulder in a pool of my blood. I put it in my pocket, maybe as a souvenir.
         I take the painful crawl to the front of the cab again. In my pockets I find a set of keys. I take them out and throw them onto the cabs hood, and the driver grinds into the next gear when he lets up on the gas. Up ahead on the right I see the lights of a weigh station, and the driver puts on his turn signal. The driver takes the off ramp and I see a sign that says that the station is closed. As the driver goes through the lower gears to slow down I hear the distinct sound of the nova’s dual exhaust rumbling. The semi comes to a stop and the air brakes release. I see off to the right the nova has pulled into an empty stall under a light, the tinted windows don’t allow me the sight of the man behind the wheel. The semi driver gets out of the cab and grabs the set of keys from off the hood. I yell to him for help. I dangle my upper torso over the front of the bed. He jumps onto the hood and to the top of the cab, grabs me and drags me to the ground. He props me up against the front grille and begins to interrogate me. All I can feel is relief, and every inch of my sore body. I tell him to call the cops. I’m so out of breath that all I can do is point at my shoulder and to the parked nova, but the sleeve I’ve wrapped around the wound hides its’ identity. Then suddenly he lets go of my and takes off running into the darkness. I slump to the ground into a pool of broken flesh. The gun cocks and is pointed to my head. Just then why this all came to fruition flashes before my eyes. I realize that I deserve every bit of this. That this way, I’m getting off easy.
         The muzzle flash burns my skin. Then my skin spreads to make room for the bullets impending path out the back of my skull, which promptly gives way to the pressure. The remnants of my life in memories and ideas explode out the rear of my skull. The matter of my mind scattered about on the grille of this semi.
         Yesterday morning I had broken into a house I had been stalking for a week. The man who just ended me, well I ended his life that day. I had been doing this for years. Breaking in to homes and doing my thing. I’ll leave the details between me and him. He caught me mid, well, let’s say I wasn’t finished. That’s when he took a bat upside my head. I should’ve done my research better because you don’t break in when a wife is home on their anniversary. The husband is bound to make a surprise visit some time during the day. Well we all were in for a surprise that day. He got his gun and dragged my limp body into his passenger seat of his nova. At some time I awoke. He hit me with the butt of the handle. Told me to sit still and shut up. I opened the door and jumped out. When I came to rest I heard the nova’s breaks squeal. I could see the white lights of the car being put into reverse. As I got to feet he got out pointing a gun at me demanding I get back in. I jump onto the guard rail and leapt off the overpass landing on top of a semi truck. I shattered my ankle, separated my shoulder and the concussion knock out the memory of all of this. This leap of faith gave me a new beginning. All the thoughts of killing were washed away. For the all be it brief moment I was innocent of the actions I had committed. I can’t help but thank him for that small time, because it was the best time in my life. Compared to where I am now.